It's just not moving many mountains right now :(
Friday (7/12/13) I ran 8 miles the other day at Eagle Creek State Park in Indianapolis. Run Details on Strava
Saturday I rode about 15 miles on the bike. Ride Details on Strava
About Me
- Thomas W Chorny
- I haven't run a PR on the track in over 9 years. I haven't even run the Steeplechase since 2008. I've been told I should retire, I should "Hang up the spikes" I'm "too old", but HOW??? I love to run! I love to race! I KNOW I've got more! The Flame Within burns hot and bright, and until it fades, there will be no sleep for this weary soul.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
...to make the 2012 Olympic Team!
So, what is it going to take to make an Olympic team in the steeplechase? I looked back at the top U.S. marks for the last 12 years including the last 3 Olympic years and counted the number of athletes who had run the Olympic 'A' standard (currently 8:23.1) An athlete must run the Olympic 'A' Standard in order to be on the Olympic Team (It's actually much more complicated than that, but that's the simple rule). There have not been more than 5 U.S. Steeplers in the same year to hit that 'A' Standard, but, if I look at the athletes who have recently been at the top and consider some up and comers and some old men who might re-emerge,
I could see 6 to 7 athletes running better than 8:23 this year. Based on past Olympic trial races, my best guess tells me that it will take 8:19 to place in the top 3 at the trials to make the U.S. Olympic Team (my PR 8:22.16). Ok! So, what do I need to do to be able to run 8:19, 3 seconds faster than I ever have before? Let's break it down. My conversion time from an open 3000m race to the 3000m steeplechase should be in the 22-25 second range, which means I need to be in shape to run 7:54-7:57 for a 3K. (My PR, 7:55) This also means that I will be in shape to run about 4:04 in the mile and 13:40 for 5K (My PRs, 4:07 and 13:53). Truth is, if I run anyone of my PRs I'll be feeling confident to run close to 8:22 again....but 8:22 is not my goal, it's 8:19 or faster!
Ok, now let's look at a time line. If I'm going to run 8:19 in the final of the trials at the end of June, after running a prelim, I'll need to be running around 8:26-8:28 at the beginning of May, and Ideally 8:36 late april, Opening around 8:42-8:45 early April. Ok, so how do I get there? I'm barely building base, so that must continue through February and March without any burps...burps? Hiccups, maybe? Yeah hiccups. I will build from the ground up with my speed and turnover. 100s, then 200s, then 300s, 400s, 800s, miles etc. Threshold runs must grow from 5 miles at 5:20 pace to 8 miles at 5:20 pace, and then 8 miles at 5:15 pace, to 8 miles at 5:10 pace etc. VO2Max work might need to wait until March, but by then things will really start to come together. Core strength, flexibility, plyometric strength, hydration, sleep, and overall balance must be ironed out a bit, because without these, the rest will not happen.
Coach Helmer was speaking to the Indiana Track and Field team a couple weeks ago before the indoor track season started and I found myself doing a mental check of my progress since this past summer when I spent 6 weeks in a boot after getting PRP injections in my Achilles tendon. I realized that if I was to grade myself in each category, I was failing across the board. I was embarrassed for myself and I really dwelled on how and why I let things get so inharmonious. My wishing and hoping far outweighed my actions. I could bore you with the excuses and potential reasons I am holding back, but in the end, here are my goals: 4:04, 7:54, 13:40, and 8:19. I know what I need to do. No time to waste. Time to start executing! Thanks for reading, subscribe to the blog on the right side of this page. :)
Friday, December 23, 2011
Bears and Wolves and Yetis, oh my!
It's funny, sometimes, how people can really not know what's going on.
I'm in Michigan for the holidays. I grew up in West Michigan--Muskegon and Grand Haven area, and went to Fruitport High School. Today I traveled north, a few hours, to a cabin with a couple uncles and extended family, but I hadn't run yet by the time we got there. I should have run in the morning, but I knew there would be some nice dirt roads to run on. Upon arrival, it was already dark, but I had carefully studied the road in the headlights, on the way in, and although they were a little icy, the roads looked smooth and very runnable. I mentioned that I was going to go out for a 10 mile run and they thought I was crazy. "You're going to get lost!" they proclaimed, "Just wait til tomorrow..." I
was told to run a loop around a little lake, that was about 1 mile around. I assured them that I would not get lost and that there was no way I was about to run 10 loops around a lake...Boring! And how do you get lost? I'll just run out-and-back and that's it. I'm thinking, 'I've run tens of thousands of miles in my life, do they really think I don't know how to go out for a run without getting lost?' (Picture of Hedy, telling me not to get lost, with a heavy German accent)
So I got dressed up in my gear and started stretching, still receiving warnings that I was going to get lost, so I assured them that I was going to be fine and showed them the map and the GPS I had on my phone. I pointed out the direction I was going to run, just in case I was attacked by a bear or fell asleep and ran off the road. I was not going to get lost!
I stepped outside and it was a bit colder than I was hoping for, but I got my satellite connection and started off. I only made it a hundred meters before I thought about going back. The gravel from the road was just a little too rough for the minimal shoes I was wearing and that would make for a miserable 10 miles. I turned around and took a few steps, but then thought, 'No', it will be fine. I passed a few houses and checked out the Christmas lights, but then I realized that I had already missed my first turn--and it was pretty dark. I looked at my phone and found the next turn to take and proceeded.
Did I mention there was no moon? Well, they also warned me of that before I left the house, too. After I made the next turn, I had to check my phone again to be sure it was correct. The road got pretty narrow and felt more like a driveway. It was REALLY dark, in fact I almost ran off the road. I thought I was right in the middle . It became apparent that I really had NO idea what was going on. There are very few houses, no street lights, and now I am actually wondering if there is a real chance of being attacked by a bear, or wolves, or Harry Henderson himself. There were tall trees closing in on each side of the road and I couldn't believe how dark it was. I was only 3 minutes into my run. (There are a couple pictures of me on my run, and one of me with my cousin Stefan)
So, change of direction, the road had actually smoothed out quite well, a bit icy, but not bad, and I headed to the exit of the 'area', back to the way we drove in. There was a paved road out there somewhere, and I figured it would be the best place to get my workout in.
Now I'm heading in the complete opposite direction of where I said I was going, but I felt confident I'd be alright. I set out with the idea of running 8-10 x 3min ON, 1min OFF, but that changed into a 6-8 mile threshold run. I checked my GPS and at 2 miles I picked up the pace. The main dirt road, albeit very dark, was fun to run even if I couldn't see the details of the surface. The road was a little wider, so, for the most part, the trees weren't tunneling the road with blackness, but only a half mile or so later, all the barely visible contrast started to blend. I trusted that the road was still there, moving beneath me at about 5:20 a mile, but I couldn't tell. In fact, I was startled, to feel pavement under my feet, when I realized I had made it out to the state road. I couldn't even see it!!! Oh well, it was too late to turn back now, and I wasn't about to admit my defeat. I made a turn to the north and proceeded, amazed by how dark it was. If only someone had warned me, right?
The white painted line on the side of the road was a little icy compared to the asphalt, so I used that as a marker to make sure I stayed on the road. It came in handy, especially when a car came by. Their brights would blind me and then I could, ironically, see even less. I checked my Heart rate, and it was still in the low 160s, so I picked up the pace. I didn't feel great, and I still haven't had that workout that says 'you're getting there, don't worry', so I decided to modify the workout one more time. 3x2miles with short rest between. 10:56 for the first 2 miles. Ehn, just so-so. I jogged .3 miles and took off again. I reached 5 miles from my starting point and turned back, still in the middle of the 2nd rep. The turnaround hurt more than I wanted it to. Before the change of direction, I figured I had been on a downhill slope, but I didn't realize how long it was until a car came up from behind me and lit up the entire, long, never-ending, hill that lay in front of me. Blah!
I kind of laughed each time a car passed, they had to have been thinking, 'What the hell is this guy doing out here, RUNNING, in the middle of nowhere?' Seriously, there was NOTHING around; still no lights, luckily no bears, or wolves, or yetis, 'Oh my'. I made it up the hill, and luckily on the other side, it went down. I checked my heart rate again, 171-172, that's good. I clicked my lap button, 10:22, that's more like it. Jogged .3 miles again, but this time I was hurting a little more. Minimal shoes, 2.5 miles of slightly slippery roads to start the run, and now 2x2miles, my legs were a bit sore. One more...
I reached the dirt road again, glad that I had checked the distance so I knew where to turn, and tried to speed off into the last mile. The road was much slipperier than it was on the way out, but just as dark. I had Frou Frou, "Details", playing on my phone's speaker, no headphones, this whole time, and laughed again, when I imagined what it would have been like if I had passed someone. The music was louder than my steps, and kept me company, and probably scared off the yetis. My legs really started to get tired and I checked my heart rate again, 173, I backed off a bit, thinking I should keep it around 172. Lap button, 10:36. I'll take that, too. I jogged back to the house in the darkness, and did some light drills before heading inside. My legs were wrecked, but the drills definitely help to start recovery.
I stepped in side and told them how dark it was out there... I didn't get lost! Food was waiting!
---------------
Just for reference, at my best, on a clear and flat bike path in Eugene, OR, I ran 4x2miles, 2min rest, in 9:42, 9:48, 9:52, and 9:59. I'm not there, yet, but I'm hoping that I'm only a couple weeks
away from having that workout where I feel like it's finally coming around. This will be my 3rd week in a row around 50 miles, and I've been doing workouts for the last month.
I've been thinking about what it will take to make the Olympic Team, so I'll talk about that in my next blog. Look for it in the near future. I've got some big announcements coming up in the next month, so look on the right side of the screen here to subscribe/follow my blog. Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas! Go run!
I'm in Michigan for the holidays. I grew up in West Michigan--Muskegon and Grand Haven area, and went to Fruitport High School. Today I traveled north, a few hours, to a cabin with a couple uncles and extended family, but I hadn't run yet by the time we got there. I should have run in the morning, but I knew there would be some nice dirt roads to run on. Upon arrival, it was already dark, but I had carefully studied the road in the headlights, on the way in, and although they were a little icy, the roads looked smooth and very runnable. I mentioned that I was going to go out for a 10 mile run and they thought I was crazy. "You're going to get lost!" they proclaimed, "Just wait til tomorrow..." I
was told to run a loop around a little lake, that was about 1 mile around. I assured them that I would not get lost and that there was no way I was about to run 10 loops around a lake...Boring! And how do you get lost? I'll just run out-and-back and that's it. I'm thinking, 'I've run tens of thousands of miles in my life, do they really think I don't know how to go out for a run without getting lost?' (Picture of Hedy, telling me not to get lost, with a heavy German accent)So I got dressed up in my gear and started stretching, still receiving warnings that I was going to get lost, so I assured them that I was going to be fine and showed them the map and the GPS I had on my phone. I pointed out the direction I was going to run, just in case I was attacked by a bear or fell asleep and ran off the road. I was not going to get lost!
I stepped outside and it was a bit colder than I was hoping for, but I got my satellite connection and started off. I only made it a hundred meters before I thought about going back. The gravel from the road was just a little too rough for the minimal shoes I was wearing and that would make for a miserable 10 miles. I turned around and took a few steps, but then thought, 'No', it will be fine. I passed a few houses and checked out the Christmas lights, but then I realized that I had already missed my first turn--and it was pretty dark. I looked at my phone and found the next turn to take and proceeded.
Did I mention there was no moon? Well, they also warned me of that before I left the house, too. After I made the next turn, I had to check my phone again to be sure it was correct. The road got pretty narrow and felt more like a driveway. It was REALLY dark, in fact I almost ran off the road. I thought I was right in the middle . It became apparent that I really had NO idea what was going on. There are very few houses, no street lights, and now I am actually wondering if there is a real chance of being attacked by a bear, or wolves, or Harry Henderson himself. There were tall trees closing in on each side of the road and I couldn't believe how dark it was. I was only 3 minutes into my run. (There are a couple pictures of me on my run, and one of me with my cousin Stefan)
So, change of direction, the road had actually smoothed out quite well, a bit icy, but not bad, and I headed to the exit of the 'area', back to the way we drove in. There was a paved road out there somewhere, and I figured it would be the best place to get my workout in.
Now I'm heading in the complete opposite direction of where I said I was going, but I felt confident I'd be alright. I set out with the idea of running 8-10 x 3min ON, 1min OFF, but that changed into a 6-8 mile threshold run. I checked my GPS and at 2 miles I picked up the pace. The main dirt road, albeit very dark, was fun to run even if I couldn't see the details of the surface. The road was a little wider, so, for the most part, the trees weren't tunneling the road with blackness, but only a half mile or so later, all the barely visible contrast started to blend. I trusted that the road was still there, moving beneath me at about 5:20 a mile, but I couldn't tell. In fact, I was startled, to feel pavement under my feet, when I realized I had made it out to the state road. I couldn't even see it!!! Oh well, it was too late to turn back now, and I wasn't about to admit my defeat. I made a turn to the north and proceeded, amazed by how dark it was. If only someone had warned me, right?The white painted line on the side of the road was a little icy compared to the asphalt, so I used that as a marker to make sure I stayed on the road. It came in handy, especially when a car came by. Their brights would blind me and then I could, ironically, see even less. I checked my Heart rate, and it was still in the low 160s, so I picked up the pace. I didn't feel great, and I still haven't had that workout that says 'you're getting there, don't worry', so I decided to modify the workout one more time. 3x2miles with short rest between. 10:56 for the first 2 miles. Ehn, just so-so. I jogged .3 miles and took off again. I reached 5 miles from my starting point and turned back, still in the middle of the 2nd rep. The turnaround hurt more than I wanted it to. Before the change of direction, I figured I had been on a downhill slope, but I didn't realize how long it was until a car came up from behind me and lit up the entire, long, never-ending, hill that lay in front of me. Blah!
I kind of laughed each time a car passed, they had to have been thinking, 'What the hell is this guy doing out here, RUNNING, in the middle of nowhere?' Seriously, there was NOTHING around; still no lights, luckily no bears, or wolves, or yetis, 'Oh my'. I made it up the hill, and luckily on the other side, it went down. I checked my heart rate again, 171-172, that's good. I clicked my lap button, 10:22, that's more like it. Jogged .3 miles again, but this time I was hurting a little more. Minimal shoes, 2.5 miles of slightly slippery roads to start the run, and now 2x2miles, my legs were a bit sore. One more...
I reached the dirt road again, glad that I had checked the distance so I knew where to turn, and tried to speed off into the last mile. The road was much slipperier than it was on the way out, but just as dark. I had Frou Frou, "Details", playing on my phone's speaker, no headphones, this whole time, and laughed again, when I imagined what it would have been like if I had passed someone. The music was louder than my steps, and kept me company, and probably scared off the yetis. My legs really started to get tired and I checked my heart rate again, 173, I backed off a bit, thinking I should keep it around 172. Lap button, 10:36. I'll take that, too. I jogged back to the house in the darkness, and did some light drills before heading inside. My legs were wrecked, but the drills definitely help to start recovery.
I stepped in side and told them how dark it was out there... I didn't get lost! Food was waiting!
---------------
Just for reference, at my best, on a clear and flat bike path in Eugene, OR, I ran 4x2miles, 2min rest, in 9:42, 9:48, 9:52, and 9:59. I'm not there, yet, but I'm hoping that I'm only a couple weeks
away from having that workout where I feel like it's finally coming around. This will be my 3rd week in a row around 50 miles, and I've been doing workouts for the last month.I've been thinking about what it will take to make the Olympic Team, so I'll talk about that in my next blog. Look for it in the near future. I've got some big announcements coming up in the next month, so look on the right side of the screen here to subscribe/follow my blog. Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas! Go run!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Flame Within!!!
Click HERE to read new BlogIt's amazing how time flies. Just yesterday it was 1999, I was still in college and I had an excuse to be dumb and ignorant. Now, the choice is mine.
The Olympic trials are fast approaching, June, 2012, and I have some work to do. Please check out my latest blog, as a guest blogger for RunPerspective.
Subscribe to my blog, on the right hand side of this page and follow me throughout the year as I navigate my way through the maze of possibility.
Thanks for reading!
On His 35th Birthday...
Monday, October 11, 2010
French Lick 10K
ChornyRuns! - One word summaries!
Life: Scattered
Coaching: Exciting
Training: Conservative
Racing: Overdue
Nutrition: Vitamin-D
Life
A Blog entry... there's an idea. So, what have I been doing since the 8tuff miles in February?
That's a good question. I've loved. I've lost. I'm loving some more. I've worked hard. I've been lazy. I've traveled a lot with the track team and enjoyed some great performances from my steeplers this past outdoor track season. I didn't race because of an Achilles tendon injury, took some time off from running, traveled a bit on my own to Salt Lake City, Park City (my favorite) and even zipped through Teton and Yellowstone National parks. Training is back on and ready for some more intensity. I feel like I've been all over the place for the last 2 months, so I'm looking forward to getting into a groove with life again.
Coaching
Just to recap. The outdoor season was fantastic. DeSean Turner and Andrew Poore went 1,2 at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships and gave us an amazing performance in front of a home crowd. They both ran fast enough to qualify for the U.S. Championships in June where they got a taste of their first big time championship race. Their season and personal bests (8:43.44 and 8:44.10) were the 22nd and 26th fastest by an American in 2010 and climbed to 5th and 6th on Indiana
University's All-Time Records list.
On the Women's side, Sarah Pease was the Big Ten Runner-up and went on to place 4th in the Steeple Chase at both the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Championships. Her season and personal best 9:56.91 was the 6th fastest by an American this year and is the New IU School Record. Sarah's fellow steeplers also had a very successful year with 5 others running times that now populate the All-time IU top ten perfor
mance list. 4). Caitlin Engel 10:31.27 5.) Breanne Ehrman 10:40.46 6.) Erica Ridderman 10:45.40 7.) Samantha Ginther 10:46.53 and 8.) Kelsey Duerksen 10:46.98.
BUTTTT, now it's Cross Country Season and the Hoosiers are Amazing. Last week was our first big competition of the year at the Adidas Wisconsin Invitational. On the men's side, we have a very impressive top 5 followed by a solid 6, 7, 8, and 9. Going into the meet they were ranked 26th in the NCAA and there were about 7 teams in the race that were ranked in front of them, including #6 Wisconsin. Well, well, well... Patience was the key, and in the end, the Hoosiers won the meet and beat Wisconsin by over 30 points (for those of you who don't know... in cross country, your top 5 runners are scored based on their finishing place, therefore the low score wins. i.e. 1,2,3,4,5=15 points and a perfect score.) Here are the results... The next week, the men were ranked #7 in the NCAA.
For the Hoosier Women, going in the the race, they were not ranked in the top 30, but were very close. With a solid 5th place team finish, the young team, led by Sarah Pease's 7th place individual finish, managed to bump a couple of ranked teams, and are now ranked 24th in the NCAA. Results
Next up, Chili Pepper invite this Saturday at Arkansas.
Training
I've dealt with many small and not so small injuries over the past decade and I'm trying to be nice to my body. I've only climbed up to 60 miles a week at the most, but have primarily stayed between 50 and 60. I'll admit, I've become afraid of the pain that I used to simply deal with and I might need to readjust my feelings about that as I increase my intensity. I've been running workouts and some have been pretty solid, but no stand out workouts that have been overly impressive. This past Saturday I ran my first race since the spring and going into it, I had no idea what to expect...
Racing
French Lick 10K. Very pleased with my performance and fitness, but not with the outcome. I didn't know the course very well, but was told that the first 2 miles climbed up hill and then the last half was 'rolling'. I found out that 'rolling' means something completely different to people from Indianapolis than it does to people from Bloomington. I was planning to hang back for the first 2 miles and then race hard and wear people out on the 'rolling' hills. We were out at a very conservative pace, 5:27 for the first mile, 5:46 for the second, on a steady and solid incline. I let a few guys get a lead, about 80-100m and then started to slowly close the gap. The problem was... the rolling hills never showed up to help me. I spent the last few miles catching back to within about 40m of the top three, only to watch them start kicking in to the finish. I have to say, I was very pleased with my last 4 mile splits. 4:52, 4:42, 4:45, 4:53 and I think I'm ready to start training more. :)
Nutrition
Vitamin D has been studied more than anything this past year. "Vit D affects virtually all aspects of our health." Watch this video
Life: Scattered
Coaching: Exciting
Training: Conservative
Racing: Overdue
Nutrition: Vitamin-D
Life
A Blog entry... there's an idea. So, what have I been doing since the 8tuff miles in February?
That's a good question. I've loved. I've lost. I'm loving some more. I've worked hard. I've been lazy. I've traveled a lot with the track team and enjoyed some great performances from my steeplers this past outdoor track season. I didn't race because of an Achilles tendon injury, took some time off from running, traveled a bit on my own to Salt Lake City, Park City (my favorite) and even zipped through Teton and Yellowstone National parks. Training is back on and ready for some more intensity. I feel like I've been all over the place for the last 2 months, so I'm looking forward to getting into a groove with life again.
Coaching
Just to recap. The outdoor season was fantastic. DeSean Turner and Andrew Poore went 1,2 at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships and gave us an amazing performance in front of a home crowd. They both ran fast enough to qualify for the U.S. Championships in June where they got a taste of their first big time championship race. Their season and personal bests (8:43.44 and 8:44.10) were the 22nd and 26th fastest by an American in 2010 and climbed to 5th and 6th on Indiana
University's All-Time Records list.On the Women's side, Sarah Pease was the Big Ten Runner-up and went on to place 4th in the Steeple Chase at both the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Championships. Her season and personal best 9:56.91 was the 6th fastest by an American this year and is the New IU School Record. Sarah's fellow steeplers also had a very successful year with 5 others running times that now populate the All-time IU top ten perfor
mance list. 4). Caitlin Engel 10:31.27 5.) Breanne Ehrman 10:40.46 6.) Erica Ridderman 10:45.40 7.) Samantha Ginther 10:46.53 and 8.) Kelsey Duerksen 10:46.98.BUTTTT, now it's Cross Country Season and the Hoosiers are Amazing. Last week was our first big competition of the year at the Adidas Wisconsin Invitational. On the men's side, we have a very impressive top 5 followed by a solid 6, 7, 8, and 9. Going into the meet they were ranked 26th in the NCAA and there were about 7 teams in the race that were ranked in front of them, including #6 Wisconsin. Well, well, well... Patience was the key, and in the end, the Hoosiers won the meet and beat Wisconsin by over 30 points (for those of you who don't know... in cross country, your top 5 runners are scored based on their finishing place, therefore the low score wins. i.e. 1,2,3,4,5=15 points and a perfect score.) Here are the results... The next week, the men were ranked #7 in the NCAA.
For the Hoosier Women, going in the the race, they were not ranked in the top 30, but were very close. With a solid 5th place team finish, the young team, led by Sarah Pease's 7th place individual finish, managed to bump a couple of ranked teams, and are now ranked 24th in the NCAA. Results
Next up, Chili Pepper invite this Saturday at Arkansas.
Training
I've dealt with many small and not so small injuries over the past decade and I'm trying to be nice to my body. I've only climbed up to 60 miles a week at the most, but have primarily stayed between 50 and 60. I'll admit, I've become afraid of the pain that I used to simply deal with and I might need to readjust my feelings about that as I increase my intensity. I've been running workouts and some have been pretty solid, but no stand out workouts that have been overly impressive. This past Saturday I ran my first race since the spring and going into it, I had no idea what to expect...
Racing
French Lick 10K. Very pleased with my performance and fitness, but not with the outcome. I didn't know the course very well, but was told that the first 2 miles climbed up hill and then the last half was 'rolling'. I found out that 'rolling' means something completely different to people from Indianapolis than it does to people from Bloomington. I was planning to hang back for the first 2 miles and then race hard and wear people out on the 'rolling' hills. We were out at a very conservative pace, 5:27 for the first mile, 5:46 for the second, on a steady and solid incline. I let a few guys get a lead, about 80-100m and then started to slowly close the gap. The problem was... the rolling hills never showed up to help me. I spent the last few miles catching back to within about 40m of the top three, only to watch them start kicking in to the finish. I have to say, I was very pleased with my last 4 mile splits. 4:52, 4:42, 4:45, 4:53 and I think I'm ready to start training more. :)
Nutrition
Vitamin D has been studied more than anything this past year. "Vit D affects virtually all aspects of our health." Watch this video
Friday, March 12, 2010
ChornyRuns! the 8 Tuff Miles on St. John
Most photos courtesy of Don Hebert Photography and my half naked body.
What an amazing time it is down in the Virgin Islands. The sun shines, the Islands float and the water's not frozen. Last year I was in the Islands for 3 weeks and learned about a race on St. John called the 8Tuff miles. I heard that it was a very tough course that climbed 1400ft and ended with a couple downhill miles. I also heard that there was a $3000 cash prize for the first person to
break a 5:45 per mile average; 48:02. The course record was 49:20 and was run by Jeremy Zuber who had won for something like 5 or 6 years in a row. What a great challenge! I did not know the exact course, but I had driven some of the roads when I was there last year, so I had seen some of the hills. My impression was that I would have a good shot at that time-bonus, but it is so hard to tell on those hills... especially in a car.
Going into this years race, I knew that it would be suicide to skip the hill training, but I have to say, I was not in great 'hill' shape. I added about 3 hill workouts in the 4 weeks leading up to the race, and I think that helped me to get in hill climbing mode. The hills here in Indiana aren't as long as those hills on St. John, but it did the trick.
Strategy for the race was based completely on speculation... I had no idea how fast I could expect to run downhill, so I didn't really know what pace I would have to hold going up. My thoughts were to aim for about 6:15 avg up the hill (first 5 miles), and that would leave a 4:55 avg down (last 3 miles).
Before the race, I had heard about a couple of other contenders that were showing up to go after the big prize, so I was a little nervous. One guy was a supposed 2:20 marathoner, and then a 1:06 half marathoner. At top shape, both would have been great competitors. The marathoner
thought it would be a good idea to run the last 4 miles of the course 4 days before the race, and I think his legs were still shot on race day. The other was dealing with a hip issue that was not sure to be a hindrance or not. With his hip vs. my Achilles Tendon, it was a toss up.
My Achilles somehow felt great for the race. The gun sounded and off we went. The first hill starts about 600m into the race and lasts through mile 2. First split, 5:51. Felt good about that, but then we ran 6:29. At this point, I wasn't sure if we were going to run fast enough. The 3rd mile was quite flat, and we actually ran 5:21, and here I knew that one of us was g
oing to get the time. The marathoner had fallen off the pace early, and Chris (half marathoner) and I were leading the pack up the hill. Miles 4 and 5 have a few hills that are steeper than the first long hill, and slowed us down to a 6:41 mile. Mile 5-6=11:02 and this brought me into the down hill. As we crested the highest point, Chris was leading me by about 40-50 meters, and I was thinking that if he was fast on the downhill, I might have trouble catching him. I started to open up and ran 4:42 for the first mile downhill and caught Chris pretty quickly. I was hoping I hadn't gone too hard too soon, because this was a solid constant downhill, and I didn't want to blow out my Quads. But, I threw in a 4:19 8th mile and cruised in to the victory.
Final time was 46:26 and I was quite happy with that. I got the time bonus and the $300 in Beer Money from the Tap Room, a local bar. I tried to spend all the Beer money, but I still have over half of it left. I guess I'll have to take another trip to the Islands soon.
I hope to make it back next year to defend my title, but we'll have to see what the calender looks like. I was so sore for the next 4 days...everywhere. Next time I'll do a lot more hills before the race.
The race was very well run, and it looked like a lot of people had a great time. My cousin Kendall ran the race and was still on her feet at the end, and I think my Uncle may have been motivated to run next year. It was very much a party atmosphere after the race and I think some people started to celebrate right after the race, at 8:30 in the morning.
What an amazing time it is down in the Virgin Islands. The sun shines, the Islands float and the water's not frozen. Last year I was in the Islands for 3 weeks and learned about a race on St. John called the 8Tuff miles. I heard that it was a very tough course that climbed 1400ft and ended with a couple downhill miles. I also heard that there was a $3000 cash prize for the first person to
break a 5:45 per mile average; 48:02. The course record was 49:20 and was run by Jeremy Zuber who had won for something like 5 or 6 years in a row. What a great challenge! I did not know the exact course, but I had driven some of the roads when I was there last year, so I had seen some of the hills. My impression was that I would have a good shot at that time-bonus, but it is so hard to tell on those hills... especially in a car.
Going into this years race, I knew that it would be suicide to skip the hill training, but I have to say, I was not in great 'hill' shape. I added about 3 hill workouts in the 4 weeks leading up to the race, and I think that helped me to get in hill climbing mode. The hills here in Indiana aren't as long as those hills on St. John, but it did the trick.
Strategy for the race was based completely on speculation... I had no idea how fast I could expect to run downhill, so I didn't really know what pace I would have to hold going up. My thoughts were to aim for about 6:15 avg up the hill (first 5 miles), and that would leave a 4:55 avg down (last 3 miles).
Before the race, I had heard about a couple of other contenders that were showing up to go after the big prize, so I was a little nervous. One guy was a supposed 2:20 marathoner, and then a 1:06 half marathoner. At top shape, both would have been great competitors. The marathoner
thought it would be a good idea to run the last 4 miles of the course 4 days before the race, and I think his legs were still shot on race day. The other was dealing with a hip issue that was not sure to be a hindrance or not. With his hip vs. my Achilles Tendon, it was a toss up.My Achilles somehow felt great for the race. The gun sounded and off we went. The first hill starts about 600m into the race and lasts through mile 2. First split, 5:51. Felt good about that, but then we ran 6:29. At this point, I wasn't sure if we were going to run fast enough. The 3rd mile was quite flat, and we actually ran 5:21, and here I knew that one of us was g
oing to get the time. The marathoner had fallen off the pace early, and Chris (half marathoner) and I were leading the pack up the hill. Miles 4 and 5 have a few hills that are steeper than the first long hill, and slowed us down to a 6:41 mile. Mile 5-6=11:02 and this brought me into the down hill. As we crested the highest point, Chris was leading me by about 40-50 meters, and I was thinking that if he was fast on the downhill, I might have trouble catching him. I started to open up and ran 4:42 for the first mile downhill and caught Chris pretty quickly. I was hoping I hadn't gone too hard too soon, because this was a solid constant downhill, and I didn't want to blow out my Quads. But, I threw in a 4:19 8th mile and cruised in to the victory.
Final time was 46:26 and I was quite happy with that. I got the time bonus and the $300 in Beer Money from the Tap Room, a local bar. I tried to spend all the Beer money, but I still have over half of it left. I guess I'll have to take another trip to the Islands soon.
I hope to make it back next year to defend my title, but we'll have to see what the calender looks like. I was so sore for the next 4 days...everywhere. Next time I'll do a lot more hills before the race.The race was very well run, and it looked like a lot of people had a great time. My cousin Kendall ran the race and was still on her feet at the end, and I think my Uncle may have been motivated to run next year. It was very much a party atmosphere after the race and I think some people started to celebrate right after the race, at 8:30 in the morning.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
ChornyRuns! into a Cactus and goes on a helicopter
So, while I was in Phoenix, I ran into a cactus and pieces of it broke off and stuck into my hip and my arm. I immediately felt a quick numbness in the pricked areas and I was a little scared because I didn't know if they were poisonous or if it was something to worry about. 
It hurt so much, but I was standing there laughing at myself because I had pieces of cactus stuck to me. I can only imagine what the people driving by were thinking. Well, they were so prickly that I couldn't use my fingers to pull the barbed needles out, so I had to use a stick to pry it off. In my wrist alone, I h
ad about 60 different prick marks. That was 5 days ago, and some of the needles went really deep, so have bruises.
HELICOPTER!!!!
I love going in helicopters, and lucky me got to go up today over St. Thomas and St. John, thanks to Don Hebert Photography. (That's my uncle.) He had a photo shoot taking pictures of different
rental properties and a happy parasail. Some pics and videos.
It hurt so much, but I was standing there laughing at myself because I had pieces of cactus stuck to me. I can only imagine what the people driving by were thinking. Well, they were so prickly that I couldn't use my fingers to pull the barbed needles out, so I had to use a stick to pry it off. In my wrist alone, I h
ad about 60 different prick marks. That was 5 days ago, and some of the needles went really deep, so have bruises.HELICOPTER!!!!
I love going in helicopters, and lucky me got to go up today over St. Thomas and St. John, thanks to Don Hebert Photography. (That's my uncle.) He had a photo shoot taking pictures of different
rental properties and a happy parasail. Some pics and videos.
ChornyRuns! in St. Thomas V.I.
ST. THOMAS V.I.
As I write, I'm sitting on a balcony in 85 degree weather, looking out over the Caribbean. Just arrived in St. Thomas V.I. Tuesday. Here for the 8Tuff miles which is on St. John on Saturday. It's an 8.38 mile race that climbs 1400ft. 5 miles up, 3 miles down. There are iguanas in the trees, lizards all over the house, humming birds, and a black lab. Spent some time in the water today, it was excellent.
TRAINING
Lately I've been running between 50 and 60 miles per week. I've backed off from the 70s I was running back in November to allow my Achilles to heal. Unfortunately, healing hasn't completely taken place, although it has been more manageable lately, which means less pain, but still annoying. When I look at my overall mileage this past year, it ironically has been one of my more consistent years. I've been running every week,
and 32 of the last 43 weeks have been at 50 or above. 50 miles a week...big deal right? Well, if it gets me to 60 next year and 70 the next, then I'll be just fine. And, fitness is definitely coming along. A couple key workouts lately: 6 mile LT in 30:53, and 8x1000m (60sec rest) cut down from 2:57 to 2:51, avg. 2:54.5.I just spent 5 days in Phoenix, and climbed up Camleback. The last time I climbed camelback was in 1998 when I was running for IU. We always came to ASU or our first outdoor track meet of the year.
RACING
I tried racing another mile at one of our home meets at IU. I was thinking I could run 4:10 or better, so I figured 2:06 at the half would be ideal and then close in 2:03 or so, but I was pretty tired from some hill work that week, and ended up running 4:19. In every race I have run I've gotten to a point where I can feel the exact moment that I reach my lactate tolerance level. It's a flush of lactic acid that flows right up my thighs and at that point, I know there's nothing else I can do. So, I just smile and try to finish, hoping that next time I can go a little further.
I'm getting fit, so I'm not worried. Threshold is coming along, speed is there, VO2Max is a work in progress. I added some hill work to prepare for a race that I have coming up this Saturday.
COACHING
You'll hear me say this over and over again. I'm impressed with the guys and girls at IU. They work hard and consistent and I can't wait to see how they perform at BIG TEN's this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. The guys travel to Minnesota and the girls to Penn State. Results
might be here. Sad I won't be there, and I wish them all the best.NUTRITION
Let's keep this simple. All Nutritionals are not created equal. Neither are cars, or cameras, or restaurants. You may make the argument that 'all I need is a car to get me there, or a camera that takes pictures, or food to fill my stomach.' That's great, but if a car has no steering wheel, and a camera has no lens, or if a restaurant gives you a plate full of cardboard and glass, then you aren't getting what you pay for. When it comes to Nutritional products, there is ONLY ONE WAY to know for sure that what's on the label is in the bottle, nothing less, nothing more. The product must meet USP (Pharmaceutical) GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) when they are produced. That's it. 'Satisfaction' guarantees are not good enough.
This video talks about USANA, one of the few Supplement manufactures that are pharmaceutical grade.
...and this is why I only recommend USANA to everyone I meet. Remember, nutritional supplements are not created equal. Don't sell your health to the lowest bidder.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Indiana University Track and Field School Records... and my new haircut.
The current IU athletes are starting to populate the lists. Check them out here.
Also, this just in, I cut my hair... I wanted to be like Andrew Poore and Jeff Coover.
Monday, February 1, 2010
ChornyRuns! like a rabbit!
This past weekend turned into a great and historical meet for IU. Complete Results here.
IU Men:
Andy Bayer, a redshirt Freshman ran sub 4 in the mile, clocking in at 3:58.89. DeSean Turner, although he was last (9th) in the race, clocked in at 4:02.68... as a season opener in the mile, not too bad. Look for some great results in the future from Turner. (Yoshi Shimizu 4:21, Dan Kinn 4:21)
On Saturday, Andy Bayer and DeSean Turner were gracious enough to pace Andrew Poore in the 5K. Clocking 4:28 at the mile and 8:57 at two miles, Poore closed with a 4:17 and finished in a 13:48.88, only 1.88 seconds away from an Automatic qualifier to the NCAA finals. Tim McLeod 14:18, Zach Mayhew 14:20.
The 3K was pretty solid too. Cole Hardacher 8:16, Andy Weatherford 8:16, Jacob Laird 8:19, Nate Morrow 8:21 (Andrew Ramos 8:40)
Danny Stockberger won the men's 800m in 1:51.96, while Freshman Joe Holohan was 2nd in 1:52.16.
IU Women:
The women's mile didn't disappoint. The IU women had the top three spots and all were an NCAA Provisional time. Molly Beckwith 4:43.44 , Chelsea Blanchard 4:45.87, and Wendi Robinson 4:45.88.
Sarah Pease won the women's 3K clocking 9:32.44 only a couple seconds away from a provisional mark.
And Helene Delone won the 5K in 17:41, and Jenny Kulow was 3rd in 17:51
Lindsay Hartman won the 800m in 2:10.68 with Ashley Baker 4th in 2:11.81
THE BEST
Perhaps the highlight of the meet was ME rabbiting the 3K, and you can watch that here: Video
It is interesting for me to watch this because it seems like I'm running a lot different than I have in the past. ( Anybody else think it looks different?) I've really focused on shortening my stride and increasing my stride rate this past 6 months and it seems to have taken. In theory, this should help me be more efficient... we'll see what the outdoor season brings.
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